"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton.."

High summer in St. Louis, Missouri. I search for refreshment in a nearby cold water bottle, put it against my head, sweating my clothes off, but the dizzling feeling of refreshment lingers only a second. Here it is, that heavy, moist, paralyzing heat. The city pants in relief when the sun starts its disappearing act and the afternoon bows to twilight shade.

This is the city of Rock 'n Roll. The city of Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Albert King. Musical history was made in this little town, where the Mississippi river crosses. I make my way for an ice cream, hoping to get some refreshment. 'Let me have that one, yes'. I see girls and boys taking orders and dispensing shakes, cones, sodas, floats, splits and sundaes as fast as their hands permit. Before it's even there, my ice cream is almost completely gone. I glide into ice-cream nirvana. With a white mustache I smile; 'this is réally great.'

We owe almost every piece of our time here to Quinta Scott, photographer of some great books on the Route 66. She was there from the beginning, so she know's her stuff. She has a great new book coming out too, about the Mississippi river. Her website can be found here. Check it out. Thank you Quinta for having us!!

As we drive through Delmar street, the 'strip' of St. Louis, I feel as if I'm re-living the fifties; although I was never there to have lived it, actually. I guess I was born in the wrong decade...
This city makes me listen to Rock 'n Roll music in an old car, with an old radio, and an old guy behind the wheel with an old beard. After we stop for some gas, we go to the Blueberry, where we listen to some sweet fifties music. I wish Elvis would have been there to see it....


"Feelin' the music from head to toe
'Round and 'round and 'round you go
Hail, hail rock'n'roll"